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Microbial communities, and their ecological importance, have been investigated in several habitats. However, so far, most studies could not describe the closest microbial interactions and their functionalities. This study investigates the co-occurring interactions between fungi and bacteria in plant rhizoplanes and their potential functions. The partnerships were obtained using fungal-highway columns with four plant-based media. The fungi and associated microbiomes isolated from the columns were identified by sequencing the ITS (fungi) and 16S rRNA genes (bacteria). Statistical analyses including Exploratory Graph and Network Analysis were used to visualize the presence of underlying clusters in the microbial communities and evaluate the metabolic functions associated with the fungal microbiome (PICRUSt2). Our findings characterize the presence of both unique and complex bacterial communities associated with different fungi. The results showed that Bacillus was associated as exo-bacteria in 80 % of the fungi but occurred as putative endo-bacteria in 15 %. A shared core of putative endo-bacterial genera, potentially involved in the nitrogen cycle was found in 80 % of the isolated fungi. The comparison of potential metabolic functions of the putative endo- and exo-communities highlighted the potential essential factors to establish an endosymbiotic relationship, such as the loss of pathways associated with metabolites obtained from the host while maintaining pathways responsible for bacterial survival within the hypha. 

Multifunctional coatings with simultaneous antibacterial and anticorrosive properties are essential for marine environments, oil and gas industry, medical settings, and domestic/public appliances to preserve integrity and functionality of pipes, instruments, and surfaces. In this work, we developed a simple and effective method to prepare graphene oxide (GO)-hybridized waterborne epoxy (GOWE) coating to simultaneously improve anticorrosive and antibacterial properties . The effects of different GO filler ratios (0.05, 0.1, and 0.5, 1 wt%) on the electrochemical and antibacterial behaviors of the waterborne epoxy coating were investigated over short- and long-term periods. The electrochemical behavior was analyzed with salt solution for 64 days. The antibacterial effect of GOWE coating was evaluated with Shewanella oneidensis (MR-1), which is a microorganism that can be involved in corrosion. Our results revealed that concentrations as low as 0.1 wt% of the GO was effective performance than the waterborne epoxy coating without graphene oxide. This result is due to the high hydrophilicity of the graphene oxide fillers, which allowed great dispersion in the waterborne epoxy coating matrix. Furthermore, this study used a corrosion relevant bacterium as a model organism, that is, Shewanella oneidensis (MR-1), which is more relevant for real-word applications. This as-prepared GO-hybridized waterborne polymeric hybrid film provides new insight into the application of 2D nanomaterial polymer composites for simultaneous anticorrosive and antibacterial applications. 

Improving undergraduate STEM teaching for diverse students is dependent to some extent on increasing the representation of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and women in the ranks of faculty in engineering departments. However, new faculty members, whether they had postdoctoral training or not, report that they were not adequately prepared for academia. To address this need, a professional development program was developed for underrepresented doctoral and postdoctoral students, which focused on various strategies to be successful in teaching, research and service aspects of academic positions. The program included an intensive two-week summer session, with follow-up mentoring during the academic year, and was conducted from 2017 to 2020 with three cohorts of fellows recruited from across the country. To evaluate the impact of the program on the participants’ perceptions of their preparation for academic careers, a follow up survey was sent in May 2021 to the three former cohorts of participants (n=61), and responses were received from 37 of them. The survey asked participants to reflect on areas that they felt most prepared for in their academic positions, and areas that they felt least prepared for. The survey also asked participants to discuss additional supports they would have liked to have been provided with to better prepare them given their current positions (academic, industry, etc.). Results from the survey indicated that 92% of participants found the professional development program prepared them for the responsibilities and expectations to succeed in academic positions. Over 90% agreed that the program prepared them for the application process for a tenure track search, and 89% agreed the program prepared them for the primary components of the startup package. In addition, participants reported that the program increased their preparation in developing teaching philosophy (100%), developing learning outcomes (97%), and using active learning strategies during teaching (91%). The majority agreed that the program helped prepare them to teach students with various cultural backgrounds, and to develop and use assessment strategies. Participants were also asked to discuss the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on their career trajectory, and most of them reported being somewhat impacted (65%) to extremely impacted (29%). Participants reported few or no job openings, cancelations of interviews, delays in research which impacted the rate of completing degrees, and publications, which affected the participants’ application competitiveness. Furthermore, working from home and balancing family and academic responsibilities affected their productivity. Based on the survey results, funds were secured to provide an additional day of professional training to cover any items not addressed during summer training, as well as any issues, challenges, or concerns they might have encountered while fulfilling their academic position. Thirty-three ACADEME fellows have indicated that they will participate in the new professional development, held in May 2022. Results from this analysis, and preliminary topics and outcomes of the supplemental activities are discussed. The findings contribute to the literature by increasing knowledge of specific challenges that new faculty encounter and can inform future efforts to support minorities and women in engineering doctoral programs. 

Improving undergraduate STEM teaching for diverse students is dependent to some extent on increasing the representation of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and women in the ranks of faculty in engineering departments. However, new faculty members, whether they had postdoctoral training or not, report that they were not adequately prepared for academia. To address this need, a professional development program was developed for underrepresented doctoral and postdoctoral students, which focused on various strategies to be successful in teaching, research and service aspects of academic positions. The program included an intensive two-week summer session, with follow-up mentoring during the academic year, and was conducted from 2017 to 2020 with three cohorts of fellows recruited from across the country. To evaluate the impact of the program on the participants’ perceptions of their preparation for academic careers, a follow up survey was sent in May 2021 to the three former cohorts of participants (n=61), and responses were received from 37 of them. The survey asked participants to reflect on areas that they felt most prepared for in their academic positions, and areas that they felt least prepared for. The survey also asked participants to discuss additional supports they would have liked to have been provided with to better prepare them given their current positions (academic, industry, etc.). Results from the survey indicated that 92% of participants found the professional development program prepared them for the responsibilities and expectations to succeed in academic positions. Over 90% agreed that the program prepared them for the application process for a tenure track search, and 89% agreed the program prepared them for the primary components of the startup package. In addition, participants reported that the program increased their preparation in developing teaching philosophy (100%), developing learning outcomes (97%), and using active learning strategies during teaching (91%). The majority agreed that the program helped prepare them to teach students with various cultural backgrounds, and to develop and use assessment strategies. Participants were also asked to discuss the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on their career trajectory, and most of them reported being somewhat impacted (65%) to extremely impacted (29%). Participants reported few or no job openings, cancelations of interviews, delays in research which impacted the rate of completing degrees, and publications, which affected the participants’ application competitiveness. Furthermore, working from home and balancing family and academic responsibilities affected their productivity. Based on the survey results, funds were secured to provide an additional day of professional training to cover any items not addressed during summer training, as well as any issues, challenges, or concerns they might have encountered while fulfilling their academic position. Thirty-three ACADEME fellows have indicated that they will participate in the new professional development, held in May 2022. Results from this analysis, and preliminary topics and outcomes of the supplemental activities are discussed. The findings contribute to the literature by increasing knowledge of specific challenges that new faculty encounter and can inform future efforts to support minorities and women in engineering doctoral programs.